


The Duty of Demons

by Bebluvsnaru



Series: The Sealing Series [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Fantasy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-05-31 05:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15113201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bebluvsnaru/pseuds/Bebluvsnaru
Summary: Taming Your Demon Part III: Years of the Blank PeriodSet right after the fourth war... strange occurrences abound following Kaguya's return and defeat.  Naruto, Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke are sent to investigate... but find a lot more along the way.





	1. Home Is Where The Heart Lies

 

"Oh Naruto! You are just the best! My hero!" A blonde kunoichi threw a hand across her forehead before passing out dramatically into Naruto's arms. She opened one eye after he caught her and commented slyly, "Aren't your arms soooo strong!"

Recognizing the girl from the ninja academy, he looked down at her in surprise, just as three more girls threw themselves at him. The last time this particular girl spoke to him, she was yelling at him to get out of her sight line to Sasuke.

"Thank you. Thank you." Naruto replied, giddily. He was not certain how to respond to all of this intense attention. Though a little voice in the back of his head said, 'help me', he thought it might be a little impolite if he just turned and ran.

He could feel Hinata nearby though she was not among the mob of young women who had come out into the street to greet him as he left the hokage's office. He had not seen her in almost three days, not since the memorial for Inoichi, Shikaku, Might Guy, and the many other leaf ninja who had given their lives during the war.

The next few days were filled by requests for meetings with the other kage and their entourages, with Kakashi who was officially named the sixth hokage, and with all of those who were still opposed to pardoning Sasuke for his part in Madara's crimes. So in between embarrassed replies to his admirers, he searched for her frantically in the crowded street.

Noting the commotion at the center of the village, Hinata followed the others to greet Naruto but kept to the back with the less aggressive onlookers. She wanted to run to him and throw her arms around his neck too, but she hesitated not wanting to ruin his moment. He had been waiting for it for so long. This was what Naruto dreamed of from the very first moment she met him. To be acknowledged by the village like his father. To be admired by his peers like Sasuke. To be accepted completely and without question like her clan had always done for her. She wanted to cry for him, she was so happy.

Wiping her eyes, she backed up into something hard. Surprised, she looked behind her and up into Sasuke's face, as he too stood watching Naruto and his mob of adoring fans. She quickly said, "Oh… sorry, Sasuke. I didn't realize they released you... I'm so glad."

"Naruto seems to be searching for someone." Sasuke commented, ignoring Hinata's observation about his recent release from Konoha's prison. "I'm guessing that someone would be you."

Hinata looked away from Sasuke and back at Naruto, who quickly locked eyes with her, smiled, and waved, despite being pulled in about three different directions at the same time.

"I told him once that his reliance on that clone jutsu revealed his greatest weakness. His loneliness." Sasuke continued. "But after he was sealed to you, he created less and less clones. I was jealous. Because how could a loser like him have someone who loved him that much?"

Hinata followed where Sasuke was looking and came upon Sakura, who stood on the side of the street with her arms crossed over her chest, scowling at Naruto's admirers. She no longer approved of fangirls.

He breathed. "People call Naruto a numbskull. But he figured it out way before I did."

Hinata smiled up at him and said lightly. "I would have waited for Naruto even if he never realized how much I loved him. Sakura and I are a lot alike when it comes to that."

Sasuke nodded, quietly.

When she turned back to find Naruto in the crowd again, he was gone. She frowned. Where did he disappear to so quickly?

Then a calling seal opened up next to her. She smiled and said, "See ya Sasuke." But he was already halfway across the street and headed to Sakura. She jumped into the seal.

* * *

Naruto twirled Hinata's hair around his finger as she lay on top of his chest. They were leaning back against a tree in the middle of the Hyuga clan's gardens after eating a picnic lunch that Hinata spent the morning preparing.

It was mid afternoon and the sky above was bright blue without a cloud in sight. The colorful flower garden sparkled in the sunlight around their shady spot under a tall cherry blossom tree. Naruto contently dipped his other hand into the cool water of the main family's small coy pond. As beautiful as this place was, Naruto still only had eyes for the girl who snored lightly against him, as everything else always paled in comparison to her. He had been reading to Hinata when she drifted off to sleep, and though he was supposed to be meeting with Kakashi and Iruka about his plans for studying for his ninja level exams, he did not have the heart to wake her.

He wanted to take Hinata to the local park and sit on the bench by the pond, where as a kid, he often sat with Jiraiya and shared a popsicle on a hot summer afternoon like this one. And then years later, the bench became his and Hinata's spot, where they liked to watch the evening stars come out before heading their separate ways for the night. Naruto figured that Jiraiya would appreciate nothing more than him using their old place as a make out spot. There were moments when he could almost hear his old master giving him pointers in his ear.

But since returning to the village, they had been forced to give up their spot to stay hidden within the Hyuga compound. As soon as the young couple attempted to venture out into public lately, they were mobbed and separated by villagers wanting to speak to Naruto. As usual, Hinata was a good sport about it, but Naruto felt miserable every time their plans were ruined by his newly earned fame.

So now their spot was hidden behind the walls of the Hyuga compound, where no one cared about the hero of village, and they still treated him like the same old Naruto Uzumaki (better known as Lady Hinata's fiance among the Hyuga clan).

Of course, Naruto had to sneak out of his apartment in cognito to even reach the Hyuga compound across the village.

The village paparazzi waited outside of his home, day and night like predators stalking their prey, and the konoha press was known to be as stealthy as the leaf shinobi themselves. The few times he tried to sneak out as himself, he was caught, and he missed seeing Hinata that day. They had already caught on to the use of shadow clones as decoys, planting themselves in enough spots around the village to catch any of the Narutos who happened to pass by.

But the disguises had been working so far. And for some strange reason, Kakashi had an entire closet full of various costumes, wigs, and facial augmentations, even a fake mole, which Naruto was able to borrow in order to disguise himself.

"Sometimes I like a little privacy." Kakashi replied vaguely, when Naruto questioned him about his extensive quick change kit.

Naruto frowned, holding up a long purple stripe that was supposed to be worn over one's cheeks. He knew Kakashi was almost as perverted as Jiraiya, but what kind of kinky role playing was he into? And more importantly, did this mean that he had actually seen Kakashi's face without knowing it was him?

That day, Naruto made it across the village in a curly brown wig, a pair of thick brown spectacles, and the long white shirt and black trousers which he had begun to wear instead of his usual trademark sweat suit. The orange track suit, besides being ripped to shreds during the war, also made him a walking target for every fangirl within a mile's radius. But dressed up in Kakashi's disguises, Hinata was the only one who could spot Naruto instantly. He was even stopped and questioned at the gate to the Hyuga compound until he removed his wig.

Waking up and rolling over to face Naruto, Hinata rubbed the sleep from her white eyes and said, "I'm so sorry I fell asleep, Naruto. Wasn't your meeting today? Why didn't you wake me?"

Naruto pushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about it. I've only been home for a week. Kakashi, Iruka, and I have plenty of time for meetings, ya know. Besides you were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you."

He would have sent a shadow clone if he had an extra costume. But after staying hidden for so long, the last time that he sent an undisguised clone across the village, the poor boy almost got torn to shreds by a mob of fangirls. Naruto did not have the heart to do that to another unsuspecting clone.

"I know, but it's so important to everyone in the village, your dream of becoming hokage. And I don't want to be the reason why you miss a meeting."

"You are just as important." Naruto replied, firmly. "And marrying you is just as much my dream now too."

He paused and looked at her seriously. "I want you to be by my side forever. Will you marry me, Hinata Hyuga?"

Hinata giggled. He asked her that same question every day. "Yes. I will marry you, Naruto Uzumaki."

Hinata smiled as he moved his kisses to her lips and then to her neck. He chose a spot where he had not already placed a hickey and went to work. Hinata squirmed and giggled as he moved his hands underneath her shirt and then traced his fingers down her spine. Once his wandering hands reached the top of her shorts and they both were breathing harder and more ragged between kisses, Naruto pulled back at bit.

"Maybe we should stop, don't you think?" He whispered huskily into her neck.

Softly, Hinata agreed, "Ummm… humm… yes", but she did nothing to resist him as Naruto forgot his original sentiment and deepened his kisses, popping the buttons on the front of her shirt. She opened her mouth accepting his tongue again as he moved his kisses back to her lips.

"Hinata! Naruto!"

Both lovers jumped at the sound of Hanabi's voice. Hinata sat up like a lightning rod, buttoning back up her shirt and straightening her hair quickly. While Naruto attempted to cross his arms over his chest awkwardly, giving the appearance of busily reading the book that they had long ago tossed to the side.

"I'm up here!" Hanabi called down happily from the tree branches above them. They looked up to find her smiling wickedly at them as she hung upside down from a branch with a popsicle in her hand.

Hiashi had gotten in the habit of sending Hanabi out into the gardens while Naruto was visiting, in order to make sure anything that was not supposed to be happening was quickly broken up.

Of course most of the time, the two teenage lovers got carried away and forgot themselves until Hinata's younger sister showed up… and she always showed up.

Hinata smiled at her sister and then looked embarrassed at Naruto, her cheeks turning bright red. "Do you think she saw us?"

"Oh I saw everything…" Hanabi answered cheerfully before Naruto could reply. She giggled and licked her popsicle gleefully.

Naruto stood up and jovially said, "But good ol' Hanabi won't say anything, will ya Hanabi?"

Hanabi shrugged and continued to laugh wickedly until Naruto slipped her a coin. She bit into the coin to make sure it was real and pocketed it, before dropping her smile and saying seriously. "I saw nothing actually."

Then she hopped down from the branches and hugged Naruto. "Brother Naruto, you are going to be my favorite brother in law."

"Thanks Hanabi." Naruto smiled as the girl skipped off with her popsicle and her new coin.

* * *

Sakura slid into the seat across from Hinata and Ino with a rosy hue to her cheeks. They were all seated on the outside patio of a local restaurant. The waitress came over and took Sakura's order quickly, before slyly questioning Hinata about Naruto's current whereabouts.

"Well isn't she cheeky." Ino narrowed her eyes at the waitress's back as she walked away. "Of all the nerve. Asking you all of those questions about your boyfriend. She won't be getting a tip from me!"

"It's ok." Hinata said softly, shrugging. She hated to admit that some of Naruto's more aggressive admirers were starting to bother her bit. Sometimes she subconsciously compared herself to all of the gifts and the attention that he received from other girls. Not that she was not very aware of how much Naruto loved her, but she wanted him to have the best. And the daily bombardment of women vying for his heart was beginning to slowly erode away at her confidence.

"You're a better woman than me, Hinata." Sakura patted Hinata's hand comfortingly, before grumbling. "I would have placed a paralysis genjutsu on her mouth."

Not able to help herself, Hinata giggled.

"And? What about you, Sakura? Where have you been?" Ino asked teasingly.

"Working." Sakura answered cryptically.

"So you weren't just with a certain dark haired shinobi then?" Ino pressed on.

Sakura rolled her eyes and then leaned forward stating in a low voice, "Actually, Sasuke plans to leave the village soon… and he has asked me to go with him."

Sakura's words did not exactly describe the awkward exchange that occurred between her and Sasuke the evening before, but it was close enough. Her face turned slightly red at the thought.

Since Sasuke's return to the village, Sakura had been leaving baskets of food on his doorstep every night. He could not cook well and he was too proud to venture into any of the many restaurants or markets where the villagers could openly express their disdain for his presence in the village. Though Sakura had been working hard to avoid him, that broken part of Sasuke still tugged at her heart strings and she could not help but worry about him. So she picked the time of day when he was usually gone and snuck food to his house.

Again that evening, she waited until about six o'clock when Sasuke usually went to the hokage monument to observe the sunset alone.

Because the Uchiha compound was so far on the outskirts of the village, it was mostly untouched by Pain's attack. But the structures had sat neglected for so long that many of them had collapsed anyway. Sakura had not been back to this area since Sasuke left the village years ago, but the place seemed to be overrun by cats. She had to start placing a cover over the basket in order to prevent the cats from stealing the food before Sasuke found it. It also appeared that for some strange reason, Sasuke had been feeding them. She found small bowls of kibble along her path to his house. As she shooed two cats away from his stoop and removed the empty basket before situating a new basket in its place, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

In surprise, she spun around to find Sasuke scowling down at her. "So you're the one who has been leaving this clutter on my door step every night."

Sasuke walked past her and scoffed. "I should of known it was you. Anyone else would know not to show up where they aren't invited."

"Well someone has to care about what happens to you! You would starve to death out here by yourself otherwise." Sakura replied defensively. "And would it hurt to just say thank you?"

She watched as Sasuke walked into the house, leaving the door open behind him. Reluctantly, she took the hint and followed him inside. The place was bare and very dark. There was no furniture in any of the front rooms. The kitchen did not even have appliances, just a sink and a small black oak table.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her before eyeing the full basket in her hands. After a second, he took it from her and mumbled, "Thank you..."

"Humm?" Sakura asked smugly, as though she did not hear him.

Sasuke ignored her and began to parcel out some of the food in the basket on two plates. He took the plates to the table and put one on each side, before commanding, "Sit."

"I brought the food for you..."

"If you insist on butting into my business and intruding on my private property, the least you can do is make yourself useful and keep me company over dinner." Sasuke sat in one of the chairs and then looked at her sternly, waiting for her to sit too.

"Fine." Sakura sat down opposite Sasuke and picked up her utensil to eat. After a minute of silence, Sakura began to speak. "So... how are you readjusting? To the village I mean? It's been a long time since..."

"Don't talk." Sasuke stated bluntly.

Sakura sighed and shoveled more food in her mouth. What was she supposed to do, if she could not talk? This was the most awkward dinner that she had ever been a part of in her life. "So what's with all of the cats?"

"What cats?" Sasuke was not going to give her an inch.

Her shoulders sagged at the thought that this was technically their first date. This type of disappointment was the exact reason why she had been avoiding him. She could not help but to speak her thoughts then. "I was hoping our first dinner date together would be a little bit more..."

"Who said this was a date?" Sasuke snapped, rolling his eyes incredulously.

After ten minutes of complete silence, Sasuke finished eating and picked up his plate and Sakura'a plate, though she was not finished eating yet. Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. Sasuke took the dishes to the sink and turned on the water, before commenting, "Dinner is over. You can leave now."

Red faced and thoroughly embarrassed, Sakura stood up and gathered her basket. "You don't have to be such a rude bully, Sasuke Uchiha! If you didn't want me coming around here anymore, you could have just said so."

"Really? So if I told you to leave and never come back, you would listen and leave me alone? Just like that?" Sasuke asked, skeptically. "When has that ever happened in all of the years that we've known each other?"

"Well... Well..." Sakura stammered at him angrily. "It's happening to today! I'm leaving and I'm not coming back!"

She stomped off towards the door. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

"It's good to see that you've finally learned to take direction, Sakura. But it's so unlike you to give up this easily. Is this new you the reason why you have been avoiding me recently?" Sasuke inquired, unfazed. He did not look up from washing the dishes in the sink nor did he wait for her answer. "We'll just see how long your resolve lasts while we're out searching for Itachi."

"Wait what?" Sakura stopped midstep and spun around, letting go of the door knob. "What did you just say?"

"I said I'm leaving the village in a couple of days to search for Itachi and I'm taking you with me."

It was more of a brash command than an actual request, but Sakura had no response anyway. She stood staring at him with her mouth hanging open. Sasuke dropped the last dish in the dish rack and walked over to Sakura, placing his palm flat against the door behind her head and slamming it shut again. "So? Are you coming with me or what?"

"After you just treated me like... I'll never understand you Sasuke... Why would you even want me to come?" Sakura started to stammer again, but she could not finish because Sasuke had already leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He pressed her back against the door with his body as he deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue. All the while Sakura's mind was spinning, still trying to decide if she was dreaming or if this was actually real. He finally pulled back from the kiss and asked, "Does that answer your question?"

Sakura dropped the basket in her hand and quickly nodded. "Yes."

Presently at the restaurant...

Hinata frowned, almost spitting out the food in her mouth. "Really? Does Naruto know?"

"No." Sakura looked at Hinata hesitantly. "And Sasuke will be pissed that I'm telling you. He wanted to leave without any big fuss. And you know with Naruto… particularly these days, everything is a big fuss."

"But you want Naruto to know." Hinata surmised.

"Maybe if you tell him… but let him know it's supposed to be a secret." Sakura suggested. "He listens to you, Hinata."

"On most things." Hinata looked down at her hands. Naruto was not going to take Sasuke's departure well. He had been so happy ever since his best friend was back. Though Sasuke spent most of the last month and a half hiding within the old Uchiha compound, just knowing he was close by had calmed the undercurrent of restlessness that usually churned inside of Naruto. "Are you planning to go with him?"

"Yes." Sakura stated. "He came back for Naruto and for me. But now he wants to look for his brother. He believes as long as he carries the rinnegan and the last name Uchiha, he can't stay in the village long without putting Konoha in danger anyway."

Hinata perked up a bit. "Will he see Neji then?"

"Yes. Likely." Sakura replied. Then she narrowed her eyes. "But... I don't think he will want you and Naruto to come with us if that's what you're thinking Hinata."

Hinata's cheeks burned red, but she only smile at Sakura and did not respond. There was no way she was going to be able to stop Naruto from trying to follow Sasuke and Sakura, and now that she knew that they were looking for Itachi, which meant they were also looking for Neji, she could not say she wanted to stop him.

"Besides, he needs to stay and complete his training so he can become hokage." Sakura continued her argument. Hinata raised an eyebrow still not replying. That was what sealed clones were for, after all.

* * *

"What do you mean they're leaving?!" Naruto demanded as he paced back and forth in front of Hinata and Kurama deep within in his mindspace later that afternoon.

'I hate to admit it, but I think Sasuke is right to leave the village, Kid. Very few are happy to see him back here.' Kurama yawned and stretched waking up from a two week nap. The war had tuckered him out almost to a state of hibernation.

"Sasuke is not right! And who is not happy to see him back?! I dare anyone to say they're not happy to see Sasuke back home, in front of me!" Naruto raged. "I mean granted after what Madara did to him, Itachi is still wanted in most of the world and Sasuke is his brother. But Sasuke has been cleared by Kakashi... I mean Lord Sixth, and he is just as much a hero of this war as I am! Who says he's not??"

"Naruto." Hinata said his name, soothingly.

"Umm..." He stopped pacing and looked at her.

"I think Sasuke might feel guilty because he was cleared, but Itachi, Neji, and Masuku were not. They were just as much victims of Madara and Orochimaru as Sasuke."

"Kakashi cleared Sasuke. Itachi would have been cleared if he turned himself in and came back." Naruto stated. "Likely Neji would have been too."

'I think that's called magical thinking.' Kurama replied sarcastically. 'No way any of them would be pardoned. Kakashi was taking a huge risk just pardoning Sasuke. And most of the world still doesn't believe the truth about Itachi.'

"Besides, Itachi would never leave Masuku nor Neji to fend for themselves." Hinata added.

Naruto growled, frustrated. Then he had a brilliant thought, "Well Sasuke and Sakura will need our help to find them. I mean you and I are some of the best sensory ninja around, right?"

'He doesn't want your help.' Kurama pointed out.

"When has that ever stopped me before?" Naruto asked Kurama incredulously. Kurama flipped onto his back and placed his arms underneath his head. 'Don't say I didn't warn you, Kid.'

"Maybe Kurama is right Naruto." Hinata stated. "I want to see Neji just as much as you want to help Sasuke, but... maybe they want to be alone. I think Sasuke really does have feelings for Sakura. And Sakura has always loved him."

Naruto looked at Hinata and then he started to laugh. He laughed so hard his stomach started to hurt. "So... you think Sasuke has a thing for Sakura? Ha! Ha! No way! I've been around those two for years and he has never shown any interest in her. Good ol' Hinata. You always see the best in everyone..."

"Don't worry, you guys. I have a plan. I've learned quite a few things sneaking around this village for the last couple of months." Naruto pulled himelf out of the mindspace and shoved his wig down over his blond hair, placing on his brown spectacles. He grabbed Hinata's hand, "Come on! We're going to see Kakashi!"

* * *

With Konoha Ninja Network Television (KNNT) starting development in a few months, Kakashi had been drowning in a massive amount of work and a bombardment of requests.

Everyone wanted a television show on the new network, from the elderly lady who lived right underneath his flat and who quite spryly managed to corner him every morning even though she had to be pushing ninety... to Teuchi the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, who presented an entire storyboard for his cooking show idea during dinner with Iruka the other night.

The most requests had come from network producers and some very aggressive fangirls about a reality television show following Naruto Uzumaki's daily life. Kakashi had a nice chuckle over that one, as watching endless hours of a boy eating ramen and making out with his girlfriend did not exactly make for good television. What happened to just reading a good novel anyway?

Kakashi leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. It had been five minutes since Shikamaru entered the office with more paperwork and meetings to add to his plate. He never thought he would value five minutes of peace as much as he did right now. How he missed the days when he could just sit in a tree and read... alone.

He heard Naruto coming down the hall before the door even opened. Kakashi sighed. His five minutes were up.

"Kakashi Sensei!" The door flew open, banging against the wall and causing the papers, that Shikamaru had spent so much time organizing on the desk, to fly up into a white cloud of chaos.

"You can't disturb him." Shikamaru attempted to shift his body in front of Naruto, who still had on the huge brown spectacles but was whacking Shikamaru with the brown wig to get him to move out of the way. "Appointment! You need an appointment!"

"This is important!" Naruto and Shikamaru struggled for a moment in the doorway.

"Just let him in." Kakashi relented.

Shikamaru sighed and reluctantly moved out of Naruto's path. He spotted the papers on the floor and slapped his forehead. This was exactly why he use to avoid doing work. All of that organizing for nothing. "What a drag..."

"I'll clean it up." Kakashi told Shikamaru, as he stood up and moved around the desk to greet his guests. "Hello Hinata. What do you want Naruto?"

Naruto pulled Hinata into the room, placing his arm around her shoulders as they stood in front of the hokage. "I want to take Hinata on a short... vacation before I really get into my studies."

"That was what was so important??" Shikamaru demanded.

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest. "Really? What brought this on?"

"Well... You know it's been terribly hard for us to spend any real time together lately." Naruto sighed. "Every time we go out in the village, I get mobbed. It took us thirty minutes just to get here, and that was with the wig and the glasses on."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "That's true. Though I'm not sure how happy Hiashi will be about you and Hinata going on a trip alone. You still have an entire year before you can get married."

"What if we take someone with us, Lord Sixth?" Hinata interjected, attempting to back Naruto up. "My father would have to agree if we were not alone and on an actual mission."

Narrowing his eyes, Kakashi stated, "This doesn't have anything to do with Sasuke's decision to leave the village to find Itachi, does it?"

He looked at Hinata, knowing she would break first.

"Well..." Hinata started, her cheeks turning red.

"How'd you know about that??" Naruto demanded.

Kakashi shrugged and walked around his desk again. Sliding into his chair, he sarcastically replied. "I'm the hokage. I know and see everything."

Shikamaru looked up from the notepad he was scribbling on and rolled his eyes.

"Well why aren't you doing something about it then??" A red faced Naruto slammed his hands on the desk. "You're just going to let him leave and take Sakura too?"

"Nope." Kakashi replied matter factly. "I'm sending in a special team to assist them and to make sure they return safely. Under the circumstances, Sasuke can leave, but Sakura is needed here in the village."

"Well, I want to be part of this team. Who's on it, by the way?"

"You and Hinata." Kakashi stated abruptly.

"I don't care what you say! I'm going to be on that team... wait what?" Naruto paused, unsure he heard what he just heard.

Hinata tugged at Naruto's sleeve, whispering. "I think he just agreed."

* * *

"You both need new sexy bathing suits if you're going on a pseudo vacation with your boyfriends!" Ino ferociously dragged both Hinata and Sakura into the next shop.

Hinata looked a bit frightened, but Sakura appeared annoyed. She still could not figure out how Naruto managed to horn in on her mission with Sasuke. She finally had him all to herself, and now suddenly, it was a group situation again.

Surprisingly Sasuke did not refuse Naruto's and Hinata's company, and he actually seemed to not care at all that their traveling group had grown from two to four. So Sakura went along with it, afraid he might change his mind, back out altogether, and leave Konoha without her if she put up a fight.

Ino appeared from behind some racks of clothes with two sets of bikinis. With a look of disgust, she snatched a plain one piece suit out of Hinata's hands and shoved the yellow suit at her. She shoved the other bikini at Sakura. "These will be perfect."

"I think this might be too small..." Hinata started, but Ino ignored her.

"You can't complain until you try it on." Ino herded both of them into the changing rooms and then stood outside like a sentinel, tapping her foot.

Sakura emerged first in the red bikini. She tugged at it. "It's kind of loose at the top. I wish I had something more to fill it out."

"Oh Forehead. You look great!" Ino admired her choice.

"You really think so?" Sakura looked down at herself, feeling more and more insecure by the second.

"She's right. You look... decent." A deep voice came from behind them. Both girls turned to find Sasuke standing among the clothing racks next to some strange kid with long wavy black hair. As his eyes intensely inspected every inch of her body, Sakura could feel her cheeks burning red in response.

"Th- thanks." Sakura stammered. That had to be the nicest thing Sasuke had ever said to her.

Then Hinata appeared out of the dressing rooms next. "Ino, I really do think this is too small."

Stopping mid step as she realized they were no longer alone, Hinata squeaked, "Naruto!"

Both Ino and Sakura turned as they realized the strange kid with Sasuke was Naruto in a disguise. But he was staring past both of them with his mouth hanging open. "Hinata... well I... I mean you..."

"She looks nice! Right Naruto?" Ino prompted.

"You sure do Hinata. You look great!" Naruto smiled brightly. He absentmindedly meandered closer to his girlfriend, as Hinata was attempting to better cover herself. She could feel Naruto's suddenly very intense intentions towards her through the binding seal. She had felt this before, but not in front of everyone. Her bright red cheeks matched Sakura's now.

Ino stepped into Naruto's path and waved her finger in his face. "Uhh uhh uhh! This is for the trip."

Sighing, Sakura felt completely inadequate after watching the way Hinata filled out her suit and the way Naruto was attempting to clamber past Ino to get at her. Dejected, she turned away only to look back up into Sasuke's black eyes. He was still staring at her, not yet noticing that there was anyone else in the room. She smiled at him. He did not smile back but raised an eyebrow before turning to walk out of the store. He called over his shoulder, "Let's go Naruto."

Naruto was still being held back by Ino. He stopped and looked over his own shoulder at Sasuke. "Huh? But we didn't get any swim trunks?"

Sasuke grumbled. "I already told you once. I won't be going swimming. This is a mission to find Itachi. Not a vacation."

* * *

The next day, Hiashi called Naruto into his office.

"Lord Hiashi requests that Mister Naruto comes alone." Ko reported to the young couple after he found them together in the garden.

Hinata and Naruto looked at each other apprehensively. "Do you know what this is about?"

Shaking her head, Hinata bit her lip, looking worried. "My father has been pretty distant since we've returned to the village -even for him."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe it has to do with the mission and Neji?" Naruto leaned forward and kissed Hinata on the forehead. "Don't worry about it."

Naruto said this to Hinata, but he worried about what Hiashi had to say all the way to the back of the main house where Hiashi's office sat.

"Come in and close the door. I have a few items I want to discuss with you." Hiashi had on his "Master Fuddy-Duddy" face and Naruto already knew he was either in trouble or in for a long lecture with an even longer list of to-dos following.

The Hyuga clan leader waved Naruto forward and towards the chair on the other side of his desk. When Naruto was settled in and looking thoroughly petrified, Hiashi allowed a small smile to cross his stern face and said, "So... you and Hinata have been close for several years now. And you are officially sealed and promised to be married in a year. Which brings me to why I called you here today. I know you love each other ...flaws and all, and that is all well and good, but the fact of the matter is that you both come from two totally different worlds. And though you have enjoyed visiting each other in said worlds, I have yet to see how you plan to merge the two by the coming year."

"Well, I..." Naruto started.

Hiashi interrupted, "I'm not finished."

"Hinata has been sheltered her entire life, pampered, and well cared for. Granted, she is a well meaning girl with many useful skills, but I'm not sure how well she will do in that cramped one bedroom apartment of yours... living off of Ramen noodles. Hinata would endure it... for your sake, but it's not exactly befitting a daughter of the Hyuga main family. On the other hand, you have enjoyed excessive freedom and very little structure for most of your life, so living here in the Hyuga compound where your every move is monitored, would likely be very stressful for you."

Hiashi sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers on his desk. "So? Now that you are about to take wife... what is your plan?"

"Well... we'll just move into a house..." Naruto frowned. The truth was he had no plan. Other than on the battlefield, he never had a plan. He just kind of went with whatever life handed him at the time.

"What house?" Hiashi asked. "Neither the Uzumaki Clan nor your father has left you any land here in the village. You would have to petition the hokage for property and once land is approved, you'd have to build a house. And to build a house big enough for say... any future children, would take more than a year."

Hiashi sat up straighter. "Now I am absolutely certain after what you did during the fourth war and Pain's attack that Lord Sixth would gladly revisit any of the older maps which included land set aside for the Uzumaki clan. Not to mention foot the bill for any sized house you wanted build. But... you'd have to make a request and get the request in before the village rebuilding is complete.

Yet I hear you and my daughter are planning to leave the village again on an extended mission in a few days. And what about the wedding? The type of wedding that Hinata wants takes months maybe even a year to plan. And what happened to studying for your ninja level exams? The village is counting on you to become the seventh hokage..."

Naruto's head was starting to hurt and he was beginning to sweat. With all of these responsibilities starting to pile up on his lap, he was beginning to understand why Kakashi and Master Jiraiya never got married. And did Hiashi just mention future children? Naruto winced. "I'll leave a sealed clone behind, he can handle things while I'm away, ya know."

Hiashi sighed. "It's admirable that you requested to go on this mission with Sasuke in order to help your friend, and sealed clones have their purposes. But they are also unpredictable. You can't just leave all the responsibility to them while you go off doing whatever you please. Is that how you plan to handle your marriage? Leave a clone as Hinata's husband so you can go on adventures with your friends?"

Naruto frowned. "I can't back out of the mission now..."

"And I'm not asking you to... you just need to think long and hard during this time away if you are ready to be married. You are both very young. You can wait several more years and then you can go on as many missions as you please whenever you want."

"That's not necessary. Hinata and I are ready for this. You will see." Naruto answered confidently. But now he felt guilty because he was not as confident as he tried to appear to Hiashi. And he was starting to think that maybe Hiashi had a point.

 


	2. Once Upon a Time In Uzushiogakure

A few days later, their traveling group of four headed east to the border of the Land of Fire, where they crossed the small channel to the island of the Land of Eddies.

Earlier in the trip, Naruto had insisted on using sage mode to sense Itachi and his two companion's approximate location. He vaguely felt them to the far east, further than the sea. But they were too far away to pinpoint an exact location. Besides the fact that he was also distracted by something else which was far more disturbing nearby.

As they traveled for the next day, Hinata could feel that something was bothering Naruto, and had been bothering him ever since he used sage mode to find Itachi. But when she asked him about it, he just gave her a vague answer.

There was not much time for small talk since Sasuke kept their pace moving quickly. Stopping in each town to ask about any sightings of Itachi's group. By the third evening, they found themselves in a small town just outside of the old ruins of Uzushiogakure.

"We'll spend the night at the inn. We can use the night to question the towns people in the local tavern and then we'll be gone early in the morning." Sasuke laid out the intended plan as they entered the borders of the town.

"What about exploring a little before it gets too late?" Hinata asked, timidly. She could feel Naruto becoming even more distracted the closer they came to this place and now he was completely consumed by whatever was pulling him towards the abandoned village.

"It's been two days Sasuke." Sakura was also concerned about Naruto's unusual silence. "Hinata is right. Maybe we should take a little break tonight."

"You three can take a break." Sasuke stated, continuing to stalk towards the inn and ignoring Naruto's strange behavior. "I will do the questioning on my own."

"We should stick together." Sakura retorted. Sasuke invited her on this mission but had so far acted as though she was an unwanted annoyance. She was more confused than ever. Ever since they kissed, it seemed like he had reverted right back to distant enigmatic Sasuke.

"I can take care of myself." Sasuke entered the inn without another word.

"Sasuke..." Her face turning red with frustration, Sakura stomped her foot and growled after him as he disappeared inside the building. She turned back to Hinata, who was watching Naruto as he stood staring westward in the direction of the old village. Sighing, she placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Naruto? Are you ok? We can all tell that something is off."

Hinata walked up next to Naruto and grabbed his hand in her smaller hand. "Naruto?"

"I sense something very sad and very angry coming from that place. But I also recognize it... It seems familiar."

Closing her eyes, Hinata felt what Naruto was feeling through the binding seal. It was like a heavy load had just dropped onto her shoulders and she struggled not to collapse underneath it. Naruto turned and grabbed her, preventing her from crumpling to the ground. "You feel it too?"

"What is that?" Hinata looked up into Naruto's blue eyes with concern. She had not seen sadness there in a long time. He replied. "I don't know. But I need to find out."

Naruto moved off in the direction of the ruined village. Hinata followed him with Sakura close behind, though she was still very confused. "What is going on you guys?"

"There is something or someone in the old ruined village." Hinata explained.

"You mean the old ruin village of Naruto's clan?" Sakura could not help but see the irony in that. She also was not certain how great an idea it was to run off towards an old ghost town where Naruto sensed negative feelings. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea you guys..."

Naruto was not listening however and he ran towards the village without another word.

"Really?" Sakura complained. "Is anyone going to listen to me today?"

Hinata and Sakura followed Naruto deeper into the tangled woods that bordered the town. Eventually the forest ended and they came upon the border of the ruined hidden village.

There was an enormous hole torn into the front gate of the village. From there the wall crumbled for miles. And within the first several kilometers of the village there was nothing but rubble. The back of the village had more intact structures. Some with the Uzumaki symbol still etched across the front.

Hinata followed Naruto in through the front of the wall. She could feel him searching for something, but he was becoming increasingly frustrated as the something was becoming more and more elusive. She gave up trying to stay next him and began to look around the village herself.

Her grandfather had told her many stories about the old Uzumaki clan. Most of their techniques were now forbidden or lost, and every sealing technique could trace its history back to this clan, including the Hyuga's caged bird seal and the binding seal.

Hinata bent down noting something in a pile of rubble. It was shiny, reflecting the last of the sunlight as it set to the west, welcoming twilight and the soft moonlight. Finally, dislodging the item from within the crumbled rocks, she held an old metal plate of a forehead protecter in her hands. It was rusted and disfigured, but the old worn symbol of the continuous spiral was still visible. Hinata felt a shiver descend down her spine as she realized how much blood must have been spilled on this land. And then the shiver became like fingers on the back of her neck as she felt someone watching her. Looking up abruptly, she caught sight of something staring at her from behind a grouping of decayed buildings. It was dark, almost like a shadow, but she could feel its piercing eyes. She called out, "Hello?!"

She stood up and moved towards figure, but just that quickly, it slipped away, disappearing into the shadows. Hinata looked around for Naruto and Sakura but they were no where nearby. She quickly moved after the figure, rounding the corner to see where it went. She spotted it again rounding another corner further away. It appeared to be a young boy but not quite, still appearing more shadow than solid form. The figure disappeared again. This time she activated her byakugan. But when she scanned the area where he just disappeared, she did not pick up a chakra signature. "That's strange."

Continuing around the next corner, she came upon the ruins of a large public courtyard. "Hello?"

Her voice echoed in the empty space. Now she found, a tall lean boy leaning against the building on the opposite side of the courtyard. This boy was larger and definitely not made of shadows. He stood next to the small shadowed figure and underneath a large fallen sign with the Uzumaki crest. Hinata made her way across the courtyard to get a closer look at the boy.

She stopped abruptly when she got just feet from him. As the shadowed figured melt into the ground and disapperaed, the other boy looked over at her with large bright blue eyes. Shocked, she took a step back. What had she just come across? Was she hallucinating? Had she knocked herself unconscious and was now dreaming?

This boy looked just like Naruto. Only his wild spiky hair was black and his side burns were long like Minato's and braided with leather cord. Whisker marks covered his cheeks like Naruto's cheeks, but he also had a symbolic tattoo underneath his left eye which Hinata could not quite place though she felt she had seen it before. The tattoo gave her a deep feeling of dread, which caused her to take another step back. But she could not turn away because the teenage boy was the same age, the same build, and had the exact same face as Naruto. This held her frozen in place as if the boy were actually physically restraining her.

The strange boy wore a tattered white tunic which showed off the lean muscular physique of his arms, but was made in an old fashion style from over a century ago. His pants were also simple and old fashion. Over the tunic he wore leather armor with the Uzumaki crest etched on the chest and long leather cuffs over his wrists. A large battle axe was slung across his back.

Curiously, he narrowed his eyes at Hinata. "You're a Hyuga."

Hinata stared back in disbelief as the name slipped from her lips. "Naruto?"

The boy moved so quickly, she was not sure what happened until after it happened. He had her around the waist, supporting her before her legs could collapse underneath her. She whispered up at him again, reaching to touch the symbol on the boy's cheek. It burned like freezing ice underneath her finger tips. The name slipped from her lips again. "Naruto?"

"My name is not Naruto." The boy replied firmly. He pulled her back up to her feet, so she was pressed against him as he held onto her by the waist. "It's Menma. Menma Uzumaki."

Menma looked down at her, still examining her closely. Then he moved his face closer so his lips brushed her forehead along with his ice cold breath. She could feel him smelling her hair. He twisted his fingers through the long black strands just like Naruto always did, before whispering, "You smell just like her."

Abruptly Menma moved back slightly so he could look into Hinata's eyes again. Then he began to suspiciously ask her a string of questions. "Is this a demon's trick? You look too much like her. Who are you people? Where have you come from? You're clothes are strange."

"Oh... I'm Hinata." Hinata answered, flustered. It was as if everything shifted when the boy caught her. The courtyard was no longer in ruins. It was completely intact and lay as though it was just recently built. "Hinata Hyuga."

"You're a very beautiful girl." Menma commented still staring at her and still not letting her move away. "Just exactly my taste."

"I came here with my friend, Sakura, and my boyfriend, Naruto. I need to find them." Feeling very uncomfortable now, Hinata tried to politely slip out of his embrace again, but Menma only held on tighter.

The boy frowned at her, his blue eyes growing hostile. He demanded, "So you have an intended?"

"He must be the other one that I felt nearby." He said this to himself but just as angrily. His eyes landed on Naruto's locket and ring as it lay on her chest. Brashly, he picked it up and inspected it. "This Naruto. He's a formidable shinobi then?"

Hinata nodded, adamantly. "Yes. Naruto is the strongest shinobi I know."

Menma scoffed, finally letting her go. "Well now you know me."

Menma seemed to be getting angrier and angrier by the second. Hinata had figured out by then that he was the presence that Naruto sensed in the village. But who and what was he? And how did he get there?

She looked around them. The area that surrounded them seemed to be in a completely different time then the area that sat just beyond the courtyard, which still lay in ruins. As the sunlight completely disappeared beyond the horizon, the differences between the two planes became more and more distinct. She turned back to the dark haired boy. He was scowling at her intently as though waiting for her to say something. Hesitantly she asked, "Why did you draw us here?"

Menma narrowed his blue eyes at her. "Because you are going to be mine."

* * *

Naruto moved through the rubble of the old ruined village after the presence. Every time he felt he was close to it, the presence moved further away. But it still pulled at him urgently, so he could not stop himself from searching the village.

'Kid. Be careful.' Kurama warned. 'The fact that you are sensing this being without using either your sage modes or my chakra would suggest that this presence is something supernatural and connected directly to you in some form or fashion.'

Frowning, Naruto stopped. There had been reports of strange sightings all over the world ever since Kaguya's return to earth. Could this be another one of those phenomenon connected to her temporary revival? He hated to think what or who it was. It felt very powerful and very evil all at the same time.

Then he had another disturbing thought. Where was Hinata?

She suddenly felt vague and far away just like the presence. Now he was really starting to get concerned. He moved in the direction that he thought he felt her but she moved away just like the strange presence.

He ran from one side of the village to other side, hitting the wall both times without finding her. Returning to the center of the village he ran into Sakura.

"Have you seen Hinata?" Naruto asked her.

"Not since we first got here." Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you asking me? You should be the first one to find her."

* * *

After Menma asked her a series of questions, he appeared to back off slightly as though he planned to let her go free. But when Hinata tried to walk out of the courtyard, she felt herself come upon an invisible barrier. She pressed on it and banged on it. She even used an air palm strike, but the barrier only wavered slightly.

She could see Naruto as he passed by, but apparently he could not see them. She yelled through the barrier to him. "Naruto! I'm right here!"

"That won't work." Menma stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "We are sealed in here together."

"What? Why?" Hinata asked, panicking a bit. "Who did this?"

Menma chuckled, sitting down and picking up a piece of straw to chew on. "Apparently, I'm still inside my dead body, but the seal has weakened enough to allow me to connect to the outside world again after all these decades. When the sun goes down, it's like I'm almost human again."

"I think we should make the most of this while we have time. Don't you think?" Menma stood up and moved close to Hinata again, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him. She squirmed away again, running to the other side of the courtyard and placing her hands up in a defensive position. "What are you?"

"Well now that I am a bit more oriented to where I am. I'd say that I lived my life over a century before your time. Probably in a parallel dimension. The veil appears to be weaker here in this version of my village." Menma smirked and plopped back down on the courtyard steps. "I was a demon hunter in my time. A very good one if I do say so myself. I've sealed many a demon, creature, and other powerful jutsu... enough to make me an elite warrior even before I became a toad sage. Of course it was forbidden for an Uzumaki to become a sage. Our clan was already feared enough. After I returned from Mount Myoboku, my father, who was leader at the time, used me as an example and banished me from the village to prevent the kage and the other clans from becoming suspicious that we were growing too powerful.

After a string of unspeakable events, I returned to my village a couple of years later. My father and his warriors were forced to kill me. Well... actually, as naive as I was back then, I surrendered. But my father had no mercy. Not only was I killed, but since I was bound to the earth, I had to be sealed away. My father wouldn't allow me to be sealed inside a reaper. I was too powerful. Instead they sealed my body in a crypt beneath this courtyard."

Menma's smile had an edge of madness to it. He patted the ground next to him. "The seal should have been permanent, preventing me from contacting any potential living hosts. But it seems my luck has changed. Something has weakened the seal enough to allow me to contact your boyfriend and draw you here."

"What do you want with me?" Hinata asked.

"I've been here alone for over a century." Menma growled, squeezing his fists. "I was only seventeen when I died. I was never able to take a wife nor have a family. Besides you remind me of someone I use to know."

He looked at Hinata hungrily. "So I plan to have you."

* * *

'You're going to have to use a jutsu that can find anything.' Kurama stated.

Naruto sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. Something that can find anything. Well that was easy. He activated sixth paths mode, surrounding himself with his truth seeking balls. He felt the presence again to his right. The balls took the shape of a half sphere and half a sharp cone. The balls moved like bullets to the target, moving faster than the presence could shift. SLICE! SLICE!

The truth seeking balls punctured their way through the seals barrier. A small opening formed within the invisible boundary. Naruto moved almost as fast as the truth seeking balls as he sped from his spot on the ground through the barrier before it close again behind him.

* * *

Menma felt the ripple in the barrier before Naruto's truth seeking balls ripped it open. He slid across the courtyard grasping hold of Hinata and slapping his palm against the side of her neck.

As soon as Naruto appeared through the barrier, he pushed some of the tailed beasts chakra through the binding seal, blasting Menma from Hinata and into a nearby wall. Two large chakra arms extended from Naruto scooping up Hinata and bringing her towards him. She fell into his arms. "Are you ok?"

Relieved Hinata nodded up at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes. You always find me, no matter what."

Menma stood up and brushed off his pants before pulling his battle axe from his back. He sneered at Naruto, who looked back at him in shock. "Hey! Why do you have my face??"

"My name is Menma Uzumaki." The boy replied. "And that girl standing next to you is mine."

Naruto looked down at Hinata who wrapped her arms around his neck tighter in response. "Hinata is not yours! She's a person not a thing! And who the hell do you think you are anyway?"

Menma scoffed. "I'm the shinobi who plans to take your face and that girl. Even if you try to take Hinata from this barrier, she will only return to me sooner or later."

Naruto placed Hinata on her feet and moved in front of her. He shoved his finger in Menma's direction. "You may be my face twin, but if you threaten Hinata, you deal with me!"

Naruto met Menma's axe with a combination of his tailed beast chakra and a kunai. They danced around each other exchanging blows. Another Menma appeared above them, swinging his battle axe down as Kurama's head snapped shut over Naruto, meeting the blow with a roar. Two more Naruto's appeared slamming rasengan into Menma from each side. He contorted his body to dodge the blows as nine more of him appeared in a line. The nine Menma encircled the two shinobi making hand seals and slamming their palms onto their chests. The seals placed on the clones began to seep a wispy essence which wound around their bodies taking on the shapes of Menma's nine sealed demons.

Naruto and Kurama roared again in response. Kurama's chakra unfolded itself as if climbing up out of the ground to meet the nine demons.

"Perfect." Menma growled. "Not only will I have a bride by the end of tonight. I'll have another demon to add to my collection."

Naruto and Menma fought through the night as Kurama put down each demon, one by one. But as the last demon was standing, Menma stood up from the spot where he patiently watched the fight. He growled. "I guess I'li just have to do this myself if I want that prize inside of you."

He slammed his palm into his chest. The tattoo under his left eye began to glow, seeping black chakra. The chakra contorted his features making him look more fox like. Black fur grew from his enormous grotesque body. His blue eyes turned a fiery red color.

At the same time, the sun appeared on the horizon, and Hinata noted that the world inside of the barrier appeared to be fading. "Naruto! I think we have to get out of here!" She yelled insistently.

'She's right. I think that kid has been stalling the entire time, to get us to stay in here.' Kurama confirmed. 'I sense something very familiar inside of him now. With the amount of hatred that is fueling the nine tailed fox that he is channeling, he will not be easy to defeat. But if we stay any longer, we might be sealed here with him permanently.'

Sending his truth seeking balls at the barrier again, Naruto pounded the remaining demon into the stone structure that surrounded the courtyard. He grabbed Hinata's hand and leapt through the hole that was ripped in the barrier. Menma yelled after Naruto and Hinata. "I told you! It's useless to take her from this barrier!"

But as the sun rose further into the sky, Menma and the barrier faded further until they were gone completely.

Sakura met them as they came out of the seal. "Thank god! You guys were gone forever!"

Naruto looked concerned at Hinata. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Hinata said, softly. Though she did not feel fine. Her neck started to burn as soon as she and Naruto crossed back over into their world. "I just need to sit down for a second."

Hinata did not make it to the steps however, her legs collapsed out from underneath her and she tumbled into Naruto's arms. "Hinata?"

"Don't worry about me." Hinata smiled at him reassuringly. "It's been a long night, I just need to lie down for awhile."

* * *

By the time Naruto and Sakura made it back to the inn with Hinata, she had passed out completely.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, frowning down at Hinata, who lay unconscious in Naurto's arms.

"Something that calls itself Menma did something to Hinata." Naruto replied frantically as he lay Hinata on the bed in one of the rooms. "Sakura what is wrong with her?"

Sakura scanned Hinata, but could find nothing wrong. Then she came across the mark on her neck. "What is this? It looks like some sort of seal but I've never seen it before."

Sasuke examined the mark. "I don't know, either. But maybe someone from around here might know."

They got the inn keeper and brought him to Hinata's bedside to look at the mark. His eyes opened wide with fear. "You people should leave now."

"What!?" Ferociously, Naruto frowned at the man. "Don't you see she is sick? What do you mean leave?"

Sasuke moved in front of Naruto and drew his sword, placing it smoothly at the innkeeper's throat. "So. We won't be leaving until you tell us what is wrong with her and how to get her better."

The man shook his head backing up and holding up his hands. "I don't want any problems. It looks like a demon seal. The only one that can help her now is the witch. So you should take her there."

"Where is this witch?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke resheathed his sword, letting the inn keeper run from the room. "She lives out in the swamp at the edge of town. The people around here call her 'the witch', but she doesn't have any magical powers. She just old... and she knows a lot of things. Particularly about those ruins, you idiots walked into."

"Sasuke." Sakura glared at him. He raised an eyebrow back at her. "We need to move Hinata there as quickly as possible."

* * *

Gemsa Ushuro was the elderly woman, whom the towns people called, the witch. She had lived almost one hundred years and was the only surviving descendant of the Uzumaki clan who still resided on the island.

She was feared by the towns people, though she changed her last name long ago to ward off local superstitions. But the residents still came to her small hovel on the outskirts of the town for fortune telling, readings, and healing potions anyway. That was how she made her living and what kept her from leaving the area altogether.

The people called her a witch because her predictions always came true. She was the only one in town who dared to enter the ruined village. She claimed to see and communicate with the spirits who haunted the ruins. That was how she knew about certain future events and personal occurrences that people thought were otherwise private.

"This world is layered with multiple variations of itself. The barrier between the worlds is significant enough that the parallel dimensions are kept apart mostly and only communicate after death. Of course there are areas where the veil is weakened. Usually by some unspeakably tragic event like the massacre and destruction of Uzushiogakure. For those of us who are more sensitive to the events in other dimensions, we can see and feel the strange presences that roam those ruins. A lot of people think they are ghosts but actually they are just reflections from other versions of this world. I call them spirits."

"Is that what this Menma is?" Naruto demanded.

"Menma." Gemsa said that name with reluctance. "He is one of the more powerful and dangerous spirits that I've come across within Uzushiogakure's borders."

She gave Naruto another odd look. "Some how I'm not surprised he is your doppleganger boy. Not with a reputation like yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto demanded, not liking the comparison. "I'm nothing like him."

"No. I think you are very much like him. Driven, powerful, and unswayable." Gensami raised an eyebrow. "Those characteristics make for a great hero but also for a vicious antihero."

"What I know about Menma is that he was a sage. So like you he is much more aware of the weakness in the veil and what lies beyond it. Not only was he a sage, but he is a dead sage who was sealed beneath his version of Uzushiogakure for over a century. I've only felt him within the tunnels underneath the village before. I rarely go down there because that is where all the troublesome spirits usually stay."

A surge from Kaguya's revival must have past through the veil and weakened the barrier seal that contained him underground, so now his consciousness is able to reach above ground." Gemsa rubbed her hand over the symbol on Hinata's neck. "Because he is a version of you in his dimension, even within the barrier he is able to appear to you and through your binding seal also to Hinata, as a full bodied being. The true Menma is still buried underground. But the form above ground only lasts under the power of the moon. He was attempting to hold Hinata there long enough to trap her consciousness with him once the sun rose again. If she is trapped, it will be permanent."

"Menma is driven by his loneliness. And lonely spirits are the most dangerous. Particularly when they have powers like his."

"From what I've learned from other spirits who are from that same world, Menma's world is over run with demons and other supernatural creatures. His clan hunts and seals these creatures in order to call upon their powers through fuinjutsu. Menma has placed a seal on Hinata which will allow one of his sealed demons to slowly possess her in this world. Once she is fully possessed, she will attempt to return to Menma's barrier seal."

Naruto growled. He demanded. "Well how do we unpossess her then?"

"She's fortunate to have a sealing partner. And that her sealing partner is an equally powerful Uzumaki." Gemsa replied. "You are going to have to do for her what she has done for you and your tailed beast in past."

"That will delay the demon from taking full control. But the only way to rid her of the demon completely is to trick the demon into releasing her." Gemsa stated. "The demon will try to hide its true form until its too late, but you have to convince it to tell you its name. Once we know its name we can recover the mask that mimics it."

* * *

Naruto sat by Hinata's bed and watched her sleep. He traced his fingers across her forehead, feeling her smooth soft skin against his callused palms. Gently, he moved the long black strands out of her face. "I'm going to make all of this right. Menma won't take you again." He promised her.

He reached down and took her hand, intwining their fingers together, before he closed his eyes and reached inside her mindscape through the binding seal. He could feel Kurama moving with him, watching his back protectively as he searched for Menma's seal.

The chamber was warm, almost hot as though a large furnace pumped in heat from behind the red leather walls. The floor was covered with red and black carpet and it led to the bars of the large cage which sat in the middle of the chamber.

A young woman with long black hair and pale white skin lay within the cage, only partially dressed. Naruto noted that the demon had copied the yellow bikini from Hinata's recent memories as he moved closer attempting to see its face. But she kept enough hair in her face to prevent a clear view. He made it all the way up to the bars of the cage before the demon reached out and grabbed hold of his shirt, moving her head so her face and her lips pressed against the bars of the seal.

Her long claws dug into the material of his cotton black jacket. Her face looked almost identical to Hinata's face with the exception of the brilliant red eyes and blood red lips. With supernatural strength, she pulled Naruto closer to the bars of the cage. "Awww... I've been sent a gift. And what a pretty little gift you are. You are almost as handsome as my master."

She attempted to reach her other hand out of the cage to touch Naruto's face but a metal cuff appeared on her wrist restraining her arm back down inside of the cage. "Awww... you're no fun, Naruto. Let me out. I'm sure your girlfriend knows how to share."

Another cuff appeared restraining the other arm and yanking the demon down on its butt. She complained, "You're not very nice are you?"

Naruto snarled, angrily. "Take off Hinata's face."

The demon rolled its eyes and then shook its head. The face matured a bit and became rounder. Its black hair shortened itself into an old fashioned up do with several buns and loops of hair. Her eyes became black and the bikini became a long kimono. She smiled wickedly up at Naruto through the bars. "How about my old face then? Does this make you feel more comfortable? Does it stop you from thinking all those devilish thoughts rolling around in your mind?"

"Look!" Naruto yelled, impatiently jabbing a finger at the cackling demon. "I am here because you are going to tell me how to get rid of that jerk of a master of yours. There's no way he's laying another hand on Hinata!"

The demon stopped cackling and narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "My master is not a jerk."

"Oh, I know a jerk when I see one, and he's a jerk!" Naruto retorted. "Treating Hinata like she's some thing to possess and control. She doesn't want to go with him and I'm not going to let anyone that evil anywhere near her. He doesn't care about her... he just wants to win. So you better let her go before I get my hands on him again. Believe it!"

"You know nothing about my master." The demon sneered at Naruto. "He was once very much in love with girl who looked just like your Hinata. They took her from him and then they killed him and sealed him away. So he could never be reunited with his love even in the afterlife."

"He could have crossed over into the pure land." The demon poked a finger in the direction of Naruto's chest. "He was never evil! Not until they made him so."

Unfazed, Naruto plopped down on the ground in front of the cage. "Alright, so then tell me Menma's story. Make me understand what he wants. I need to hear for myself so I can decide if you are telling the truth."

The demon seemed taken aback for a second unsure how to respond. Finally deciding that Naruto was actually serious, she began to speak.

"Menma was born with the marks." The demon pointed to the whisker marks on Naruto's face. "A child born to the Uzumaki clan with those marks is destined to become the next black fox demon. A demon too powerful to be sealed in the usual ways.

In our world, the Uzumaki clan was feared by the other clans because they were a clan of demon tamers. They were considered savages because not only were they the best demon hunters in the world, they also worked cooperatively with us demons through seals. No other clan had the ability to control a demon like that. Even the Uchiha clan with their eyes could only tame us temporarily.

The black fox demon was passed to Menma when he was just a young child. He had more control over it than most, but at the full moon, its power surged and he had to be sealed underground for the night to prevent him from killing anyone.

Other than the company of the nine sealed demons who were passed to him from his grandfather, Menma was very lonely. He had no human friends, so he became very close to us. That is why he is so strong. Because not only does he control us, we are also deeply loyal to him.

Our true forms are still sealed in scrolls, locked deep underground in the Uzumaki treasury in Menma's dimension. But our master can release our consciousnesses into mediums at will by placing seals on their bodies. That is what Master has done to your Hinata. Soon she will be possessed by me, the demon of broken hearts. This cage and these bindings that you have managed to create are only temporary. As Hinata grows weaker, I become stronger and very soon not even you can do anything to stop me.

But back then, Menma used shadow clones to act as our mediums in play and in battle. He became very good at it and my master's reputation as one of the most fearsome warriors in the clan grew far and wide.

One day he met a girl lost in the forest near his village. The girl was very beautiful with stunning white eyes and long black hair. She was also very kind, which is why unlike other young women, she overlooked all of his rough edges and saw straight to the purity of his heart. He fell in love with her instantly.

At first, neither one of them had any idea who the other one was until he helped her find her way back to her own village. The girl's father warned her that Menma was the Uzumaki's black demon fox and forbade her to see him again. But by the time they had reached her village, the girl had also fallen in love with him. So she agreed to secretly meet Menma again in the forest.

Even though Menma knew that loving the girl put him at risk of losing control of the black demon fox, he continued to meet her in the woods. And he sealed himself in the underground bunker more and more often to keep from harming other people. Eventually, she agreed to marry him. And Menma knew he had to find a way to control his demon completely.

Not long after that, their clans found out about the secret meetings and that the teenagers had fallen in love and planned to marry. Neither clan was happy. The Hyuga clan did not want their princess involved with the savage black demon fox and so they locked her away in their compound. On the other hand, the Uzumaki clan knew that any emotional attachment that Menma developed put him at risk of losing control of the demon sealed inside of him. So his father also made him promise to forget about the girl.

But Menma was determined to find a way to marry his princess, so he continued to search for ways to fully gain control of his demon. Eventually, he came across the land of the toads, Mount Myoboku. The sage toads welcomed him and they taught him to tap into the powers of nature chakra.

Menma broke the most permanent human law in our world, that those who mingle with the occult shall not bind themselves to the natural earth.

By accessing the power of nature chakra and gaining full control of his internal demon, my master had made himself the most powerful shinobi in our world. Now even his own clan feared him. His father banished him from Uzushiogakure in order to prevent other clans from targeting their village.

Menma went to find his princess. But the princess had already been sent away to marry another warrior among the Uchiha clan and along the way she chose to poison herself rather than marry another man. In a rage, Master all the black fox demon to take over.  The demon attacked and destroyed her village. After that, my master was hunted by the entire world.

The Kage's council advised Menma's father that he had a choice. He either got rid of his son, himself, or his village would be destroyed as reparations for the Hyuga Village and the loss of the leader's daughter. Menma's father was forced to trick and lure Menma back to the village. Unable to bring himself to fight his own clan members and devastated by the death of his love, Menma allowed himself to be captured and killed. His father had his body sealed deep underground.

So you see, that is why Menma's spirit is tormented and why he wants your Hinata." The demon said, determindly. "And because my master has always been good to me, it is also the reason why I plan to give her to him."

 


End file.
